


Five Years Later

by Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: But he'll figure it out, Circles - Freeform, Demonic Possession, Dipper and Mabel are eighteen, Dipper figuring out his sexuality, Dipper is an idiot, Dipper's real name is used, Ducktective, Five Years Later, I promise, M/M, PTSD, Pansexual Mabel Pines, Prophecy, Romance is not the center of the story, Science, Slow Burn, Soos is more background and I'm s o r r y, Stan and Ford returned to Gravity Falls, Vague Threats, Weird things still happen in Gravity Falls, but is a significant part of it, but not super bad just, existence of other demons, oc is named Alex but has no relation to Alex Hirsh, you know the pines twins got trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-14 23:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14147247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie/pseuds/Hope_Floats_With_a_Floatie
Summary: Gravity Falls has stayed weird since Weirdmageddon, but recently the weirdness has been more subdued than usual. The weirdest thing in the forest is now the Mystery Shack: no gnomes stealing food or colossal butterflies flattening trees. The people of Gravity Falls don't mind, but the Pines family knows this could be the calm before the storm.Dipper Pines has returned to Gravity Falls with a new research partner to see what is happening to the weirdness and what the cause of it could be. Yet the more answers they find, the more questions they must raise.Did they truly destroy Bill Cipher? Why is Dipper's research partner so secretive? Why didn't Mabel tell Dipper that she was dating Pacifica sooner? Did Bill Cipher really destroy his home dimension or did another demon escape? And why the hell did Dipper get butterflies in his stomach when Alex touched him?





	1. Prologue

Dipper Pines’ head whipped up from his writing in his journal when he heard an increasingly loud honk. His eyes widened, a gasp escaping his lips when he realized his situation. Being so wrapped up by writing in his journal, he had been walking in the street and now a semi-truck was barreling towards him. To be fair- a rational part of the young man’s mind noted somewhere near the back of his thoughts- he was wearing navy blue at night in a northern California winter; but in the present, his legs felt frozen. He could not find the strength or courage to run away. He almost couldn’t believe that after getting possessed by a demon and surviving the apocalypse, he’d die due to the fact he did not pay attention to his surroundings and got run over by a truck. He crossed his arms in front of his face, holding the journal tightly in one hand. He braced for the pain and darkness that was surely to come afterwards. 

Instead, he heard the squealing of brakes and a light wind on his inexplicably uncovered knees. He only felt chilly, which would make sense due to the fact it was December in California. He opened his eyes slowly, nearly blinded by the lights of the truck. He found that the truck had stopped approximately half a meter from his (shaking) knees. He heard the sound of a door shutting and boots landing on the frosted ground. He could not make out the driver’s face due to the blinding lights of the truck, but the eighteen-year-old younger twin lowered his guard. This person was kind enough to spare him from his car, maybe he could be a friendly person. 

“Are you alright?” The voice was rough and masculine, but nevertheless carrying a gentle tone. Dipper nodded somewhat mutely, trying to get a word out of his mouth. The man clicked something on his keys. The lights finally turned off. Dipper blinked a few times, shaking his head.

The man that stood before him had his hands in his pockets. He had to be around six feet tall. He was wearing a large faded green coat with a bit of fur from the inside peeking out from the hood. His dark blue pants were messily tucked into his brown boots (which gave him a bit of added height), a bit of frost on the toe of each boot. The man’s hair was tucked under a dark red beanie, a flannel scarf around his neck. His face was slightly tan with a few freckles dotting his cheeks and nose. His eyes were a strange blue: a blue that could be seen on snow when the sun was beginning to set. His eyelashes were dark and thick with little flecks of snow landing in them. His eyebrows, however, were well shaped unlike ones Dipper had seen on other truckers. One was arched upwards. Only then had the researcher realized he had been staring.

“O- oh, I’m fine.” Dipper promised. “I just got so wrapped up in writing I-”

Dipper was not quite sure what happened, but he knew he had a pain in his shoulder and his back had had a rough landing with the asphalt of the road. He heard the trucker crack his knuckles briefly. 

“You really need to be more observant, you schnook.” The man huffed. Dipper blinked a few times.

“Schnook?” He managed as he tried to get up. The man grabbed his arm, pulling him up with a sigh.

“It just means stupid.” He shrugged, brushing Dipper off haphazardly. Dipper bristled.

“What’re you calling me stupid for!?” He hated how whiny his voice sounded. “You don’t even know me!”

“Someone who was too busy writing in their diary to look around when they crossed the street seems like a schnook to me.” He shrugged.

“First of all, it’s a journal.” Dipper huffed, glaring at the man. “And secondly, who are you to judge?

The trucker shrugged. “I mean, you did almost keep hundreds of Americans from getting their milk and eggs.” Dipper pursed his lips, sighing and shaking his head. “Yeah.” The man nodded, crossing his arms.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled repentantly, shifting from foot to foot. The man looked him over, nodding. 

“You know what, kid?” The man hummed. “Let me give you a ride home. I don’t trust you walking around alone.”

Dipper considered the offer. While he had always been advised not to get into cars with strangers, it was incredibly cold. And his dorm was quite far from the place where he currently was. He nodded. The man hummed, walking to his semi-truck.

“Alright kid, hurry up."

“My name’s Mason!” Dipper called, walking to the car. He was being honest: it was his birth name. He just did not use it often. They got in the truck, the man adjusting his beanie. Dipper noticed there was a pale blue pin on it with just a small upwards curve near the bottom. He wondered in the back of his mind why he would have such a generic pin. 

“My name’s Alex.” The man hummed, bringing the truck back to life. Dipper nodded, sitting back. There was a little bit of comfort in knowing someone’s name. They drove in silence for a bit, Dipper’s focus torn between the road ahead and looking around the place he had found himself inexplicably in. It was a rather plain setting with a few strange charms hanging from the rear view mirror.

“So, Mason.” Alex eventually glanced over at his passenger. “What’ve you been writing in that journal?”

“I’m studying to be a scientist who examines irregular phenomena.” Dipper answered, a little pride re-surging in his voice. Alex nodded, smiling faintly.

“Interesting.” The driver nodded. “So you’re in college?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Freshman?”

“Yeah.” He hummed. He could have been a senior this year, but Mabel wanted to stay together during high school. After all of the strange things that had happened after their summer in Gravity Falls, he felt inclined to stay with her. Alex simply nodded. 

“I just finished up college.” The driver hummed. Dipper looked over at him with a bit of shock. It made Alex laugh. “What? You don’t think truckers go to school?” He asked, glancing over at him. 

“I mean- no, but-”

“This is temporary, Mase.” He chuckled. “Need to get some money for a real home. There aren’t that many good apartments for a broke twenty-year-old in Cali.”

“Twenty? What did you study” He asked curiously. He figured Alex got an associates degree in something.

“Bachelors in theoretical physics. Skipped two grades.” Alex shrugged. Dipper coughed, looking at his driver in awe.

“No kidding?”

“Nope.” Alex hummed. Dipper sat back. Well, that was an interesting development, Dipper thought to himself. They fell back into silence, breaking it only for directions. They eventually parked outside Dipper’s dorm. 

“Thanks for the ride, Alex.” Dipper said a little awkwardly, reaching out to shake his hand. Alex gave him an actual smile, showing his astonishingly white teeth.

“No problem. I wasn’t actually delivering anything today, so…” He shrugged again, smile lessening slightly but still curling his lips and giving him an overall more attractive look. They shook hands firmly. Dipper smiled back, opening the door and hopping out, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“DIP-DIP!” 

Dipper held back a groan, closing his eyes. He could not believe he forgot his sister, Mabel Pines, had decided that tonight was the night they played DD&MD. After all the haggling to get her to do it, he got distracted enough to forget that they were actually starting their quest that day. He heard his driver chuckle softly, making heat rise to his cheeks.

“Dip-Dip?” 

“A lot of people call me Dipper.” He mumbled, pulling his worn trapper’s hat his friend had given him (technically) five years ago further down his forehead. His twin hugged him tightly, a green sweater depicting a bird in some type of fruit tree on her torso. 

“Bro, where have you been?” She asked, her voice its usual combination of elation and slight confusion as she pulled back to look at him.

“You know, just arou-” he tried before he realized she was not looking at him any more, eyes locked on Alex. Dipper turned around, figuring he should explain things before his sister made a fool of herself.

“This is my sister, Mabel.” He introduced. “Mabel, this is Alex.” Mabel waved, giggling. Alex waved back, a slight grin on his face.

“Well, I have to move along. See you around, Dipper and Mabel.” He hummed. Dipper closed the door. They backed off, letting Alex drive off. 

“Woow.” Mabel grinned. “What a stud, amiright?” She elbowed Dipper. Dipper huffed, his cheeks pink. He figured it was just the rapid shift from the warm inside of the truck to the cold outside. He turned around, walking inside.

“Come on, Dipper! Tell me at least you got a number!” She cried, following him. 

"Mabel, why would I ask for his number?" Dipper laughed, shaking his head. He could feel the slip of paper Alex had put in his palm during the handshake. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

Later that night (after Mabel had passed out due to the late hour and an overdose of sugar and his roommate had gone back to work on an essay) Dipper pulled it out. A phone number was written in black ink, with ‘if you ever need me’ written under it. Dipper smiled a little. He could use a lab partner for his return to the strangest place he knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue over! There goes the set-up for the rest of the story. As the title says, this occurs around five years after the events of the original series (so pretty much everyone is age appropriate for if I add anything that could change the rating). While I have a general idea for how this story is going to go, I am not completely sure on how many chapters there are going to be. By the time I am finished with this, I will go back and edit this with a clear deadline date, but for now, I would say about ten to fifteen actual chapters not including the prologue and the interim I have interspersed. 
> 
> While this is not the first fanfiction I have ever written, this is the first I have posted on AO3! I figured I've been reading fics on here for five years, might as well finally give back to the community that has given me so much inspiration. Please comment if you have any questions, suggestions, critiques, or what have you!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Have a good night's sleep ;)


	2. Chapter One: Home Again

Dipper found his seat on the bus, placing his bag in the overhead before slipping in to get the window seat. His sister followed soon afterwards, plopping beside him. 

“It’s been forever since we’ve gone back to Gravity Falls!” She chirped, enthusiasm nearly contagious. Dipper nodded, smiling a little.

“You mean since last summer?” He reminded teasingly.

“Well, for like, two weeks.” She rolled her eyes. “We looked at colleges the rest of the summer!"

“So? That was important!” He insisted, nudging her.

“I guess.” She relented, smiling a little as she nudged him back. They jumped a little as the bus started. Mabel’s bright grin returned as the bus began moving forward, so happy to return to her favorite place. Dipper’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, smiling a little. Alex Aught had texted him back. He was on his way to Gravity Falls as well, ready to undertake the scientific expedition that Dipper had set out. 

The two had been in touch for five months. While most of their interactions were on their phones, they did meet up at coffee shops, libraries, or grocery stores occasionally. Dipper explained most of the weirdness that had happened at Gravity Falls and (astonishingly) Alex had been very receptive. Dipper figured that there was still some residual strangeness around Gravity Falls that could be investigated. Alex had many theories about how this multidimensional theory worked and was eager to see traces of these multiple dimensions.

“Oooh, who ya texting?” Mabel cooed, looking over at his phone. Dipper turned his phone off. 

“Mabel, come on. It’s not like that.” He brushed his bangs back from his forehead, allowing his birthmark to be visible. 

“You were smiling.” She giggled, wiggling her fingers at him. 

“You smile whenever Candy or Grenda or Pacifica texts you.” He argued. Mabel sighed heavily, clearly sick of her brother’s weak defenses. 

“They’re my friends! And Pacifica’s my girlfriend, but you see-” she began protesting. 

“Wait, girlfriend?” Dipper interrupted, a bit shocked. Mabel blushed, brushing her fingers through her thick hair. 

“I mean, it’s long distance and she has to keep it on the down-low ‘cause of her parents, but yeah. We’re together.” She said a little shyly. Dipper shook his head in slight amazement, smiling a little.

“I’m happy for you.” He said, patting her shoulder. When they were in high school, Mabel had found her home in the GSA club and later came out to Dipper and her friends as pansexual. Dipper never found himself able to think of a time when his sister was a strict hetreosexual, but then again Mabel was his sister. He never really thought of her sexuality as long as they stayed as close as they did. He was genuinely glad she was dating someone who made her happy. Pacifica had changed even more from when he exorcised her house of a demonic ghost. While she still had her snobbish tendencies, she had become a much nicer woman who always made time to hang out with Mabel.

Dipper felt a little strange still. He thought he and Pacifica had had something. He hummed to himself, reminding himself that he was not going back to Gravity Falls to get a girlfriend. He figured he was better alone at this point. Grunkle Ford had stayed single his entire life and was happy. He figured that he just needed science to keep himself fulfilled. Science and platonic relationships.

“Still, Dipper, who was it?” She nudged him again, grinning.

“It’s Alex. He said he wanted to check out Gravity Falls and see if it was as cool as I said it was.” He hummed. Mabel smiled a little. 

“You’re going to show him around ‘n’ stuff?” She asked. Dipper nodded, smiling a little at the smiling emoji that Alex had sent him. He had never really cared for the symbols beforehand, but knowing Alex’s mood was incredibly helpful in their conversations. Mabel had a knowing smile on her face, making Dipper curious.

“What’s that smile for?” Dipper asked, making Mabel smile a little more.

“Nothing. You two are just such good bros, y’know?” Mabel shrugged, twirling her hair. Dipper decided to let it go, checking his phone again. He really could not wait to see his friend again. While they would be investigating Gravity Falls primarily, he would like to take some time to show him some of his favorite places in the little Oregon town. Besides, Stan and Ford had come back from their around the world trip for the summer. How could things be any better?

~~~

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel squealed, running over and hugging her aging great uncle gently. They did not want a repeat of last time when she nearly broke his skull with a running hug. The now-retired swindler laughed, hugging his great niece back.

“Mabel!” He patted her back. “Welcome back. Now where’s Dipper?” He grunted when he felt the other twin hug him tightly. He laughed his usual raspy laugh, patting both of their backs. 

“Stanley, I thought I told you to-” The lifelong scientist and adventurer walked out of the door of the Mystery Shack, glasses briefly glinting in the sunlight.

“Grunkle Ford!” The two cried, running over and hugging him as well. Stanford Pines chuckled, hugging his family back. 

“Dipper, Mabel!” He squeezed them in his muscular arms. The adventures in the Stan O’ War had definitely kept him fit over the past five years. The twins held onto him just as long as they had hugged Stan, letting go with near identical grins.

“By the way, it’d be nice if you guys alerted us before your partners came to the Mystery Shack. We do not own it anymore, after all.” Ford noted with a serious tone.

“Yeah, especially girlfriends.” Stan huffed, crossing his arms over his barrel chest. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other, confusion evident on their faces.

“Pacifica is in Portland right now…” Mabel said slowly. Dipper’s cheeks filled with blood, turning his skin pink. He had a suspicion, but he hoped to all things real that it was not true.

“And I definitely don’t have a girlfriend.” Dipper said firmly, the pieces of the puzzle that was his grand uncles’ statements starting to come together. He begged whatever was governing probability that she was not there-

“I vigorously refute your point!” A higher pitched voice called, giggling after the statement concluded. Dipper looked past his Grand Uncle Stanford Pines and groaned. A young woman with curly dark brown hair and baby blue eyes was waving at him. She wore a frankly ridiculous dress which was only appropriate to wear at anime conventions. Her purple eyeshadow made her eyes pop out a little more, her lashes long and lips an impossible pink. Dipper had met her on a few occasions: she was a friend of Alex and unreasonably attracted to the male Pines twin. 

“Xandra…” He sighed softly, walking into the Mystery Shack. She hugged him tightly, squealing softly. He hugged her back reluctantly, hating the noises Mabel was making. His cheeks were burning bright red with the embarrassment he was suffering through at the moment.

“Look, I know you weren’t expecting me,” She started, pulling back to look at him. Her tone was somewhat more serious this time.

“That’s an understatement.” He grumbled. She smiled faintly, holding up a hand.

“But Alex is gonna be a little late so he told me to help him prepare his room for when he came.” She explained. “And as a bonus I get to hang out with you and your sister! Awesome, right?”

“Totally!” Mabel skipped in, hugging the unwelcome guest tightly. Xandra giggled, hugging back. Dipper bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to be a party pooper but hating this arrangement in its entirety. He could not believe that Alex would be late, especially when he texted him earlier and he said he would be there before Dipper arrived.

“I guess I’m living with this.” He grumbled to himself as he followed the incredibly chatty and excited women.

~~~

Three hours later, Dipper was writing in his journal about the events so far in his life, frustration clear in the furrowing of his brow and the multiple dry pens thrown near but not in the trash can. He heard someone clear their throat in the doorway. He looked up, expression softening when he saw Alex standing in the door. He was wearing his usual beanie with the button on it, a dark grey-green shirt with ‘I wear this shirt periodically’ and the table of elements on it. His jeans had a few rips and his sneakers were anything but clean. In short, it was the Alex he knew and had missed.

“I’m sorry.” Alex mumbled, playing with a rip in his jeans. “I kinda overestimated how awake I was and ended up pulling over at a rest stop and passing out.”

“I understand, but couldn’t you have told me?” Dipper asked, shaking his head. Alex sighed softly, walking over to him. “If I was prepared, I could’ve at least told my uncles that she isn’t my girlfriend.” He added, clearly frustrated still over the comment. Alex chuckled softly, shaking his head.

“Mason, I can’t change the past. I’m sorry she told your folks that, but you can clear it up. Besides, she can’t be that bad of a date, right?” He asked. Dipper snorted, rolling his eyes. Alex smiled a little, pulling up a chair and sitting beside him.

“She does have a rather large personality,” Alex relented, looking over his journal entry. “But she does care deeply for you. It doesn’t hurt to be nice.” He hummed, looking up at his research partner.

“It doesn’t matter anyways.” Dipper closed the book, turning to look at him fully. “She helped me put together your equipment, but you still need to read Grunkle Ford’s-”

“I already did. He stopped me on my way here. I read the first and second journals before I came up here.” Alex interrupted, pulling the books from his backpack. Dipper nodded, smiling softly. 

“Great.” He gave him a high five. Alex chuckled, getting up. “You should show me where you fought the gnomes. See if we find any residual weirdness.” He stretched, a few bones popping. Dipper nodded, smiling as he got up. 

“Let’s hope we do.” He declared. They walked down the stairs, staying a little close to each other. Mabel waved goodbye, blowing Alex a kiss behind his back. Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to cringe. He knew that Mabel was only fooling around, but he did not like the idea of Alex being flirted with by his sister. Or by anyone else, if he thought about it. He was not sure why he was opposed to the idea of Alex having anyone hit on him; It just seemed weird to him and uncomfortable. Alex patted his back, glancing at him with mild concern in his eyes. 

“You look worried. You know I believe you, right?” Alex asked softly. Dipper nodded, giving him a slight grin. 

“I know. Just… other things going on in my mind, y’know?” He tried casually. Alex nodded, ruffling his hair lightly.

“Well if you ever feel the need to talk about them later Mase, I’m your friend.” He fixed his beanie as Dipper smoothed his hair back into place. “I’ll listen, even if it’s wack as all hell.”

“Ouch.” Dipper laughed, punching his shoulder lightly. Alex punched back without the force Dipper knew he was capable of, laughing. They walked through the forest together, joking around and pushing each other. The strange thoughts Dipper had been having dissipated. He simply wanted to enjoy Alex’s presence now and really was enjoying it. 

Dipper knew this summer would be great, as long as he had Alex by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The adventure begins! I'm sorry it took me a little over a week to update. Things have been a little hectic, but I promise Chapter Two will be polished and out soon!


	3. Interim

_You really shouldn’t have talked to him. Or his family._

**You’re so protective of him! Seriously, I can’t believe that this is what you are so worried about even though we’re so close to Him.**

_You could have spilled secrets. He could have found out what we are. What I am._

_**Seriously? There is no way he could find out. No one knows what we really are: not even that scientist who let Him into his mind.The problem we need to focus on is that He is coming back! We’re getting close to the time that YOU are supposed to give Him deliverance-** _

__Do you trust me?_ _

_…_

__Do you trust me, second half?_ _

_**Don’t act like trust is the only factor here. You were designed to kill me and release Him. It's your only purpose and as soon as we get close to Him, he could make you do it.  
** _

__I didn’t kill you though. I'm stronger you think. Than dear old dad thinks. I can protect us._ _

_**Even our new friends?** _

__Of course. If I got them hurt, I would let you kill me in a heartbeat._ _

_**Okay. But you know I'm going to take over before you do anything stupid.** _

__I wouldn’t have it any other way._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have mentioned in my last note that this chapter is... strange. For those of you who are already figuring out the mystery, this is going to probably make some sense. For those of you who are left completely in the dark, I promise all will be explained eventually. 
> 
> I won't blame you if you skipped this one, but it is a part of the story.
> 
> Have a good night and have sweet dreams of regular updates on your favorite fanfics! Or, if you're not sleeping, GET BACK TO DOING YOUR HOMEWORK! Or if you fit into neither of those categories, have a lovely... time period and thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter Two: Who Is He, Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xandra visits her new friends and learns some history about the town. Dipper has a startling dream.

Soos opened the door after incessant knocking. His fez was slightly askew on his head and his tie remained un-tied. Still, he had that familiar glimmer of energy and child-like excitement in his eyes. His appearance had gotten better over the past nearly six years: the stubble on his face had actually grown into a full beard and with the help of a retainer his teeth had been straightened. His eyes focused on the young woman standing at the stairs of the Mystery Shack.

“Uh, dude, we’re closed today. It’s National Hollerin’ Contest Day, and the monsters don’t really like loud noises...” He explained a little sheepishly, pointing at the sign. Soos was glad that Stan was still fast asleep or else there would have probably been another argument about how he should keep the shop open today.

“Oh, I know. I was just stopping by to see Mabel.” Xandra chirped. Her hair was in a high ponytail which still reached her neck, letting her hoop earrings be visible and not entangled in the curls. She was wearing less makeup than she had the day before, showing more of her natural beauty. Her theme today seemed to be polka dots: a polka dot shirt under a polka dot blouse, polka dot tights complimenting her polka dot purse.

“Mabel’s having breakfast in the kitchen. I think she wants to see you too.” He shrugged, stepping out of the way. Xandra smiled, thanking him cheerily before skipping through the house to the kitchen.

Mabel was having a bagel, twirling her thick brown hair through her fingers. As much as she approved of Dipper’s friend Alex (as well as the concept of Dipper having friends at all), she always had a weird feeling around him. She was having a hard time naming it, but she guessed she could call it déjà vu. Something about him was familiar, and somehow that something was making her feel… unsettled. She gasped when she felt a pair of hands cover her face.

“Guess who?” A voice cooed in her ear. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. The voice sounded incredibly like- “Bill!” She turned around quickly, slapping the person behind her with all her strength. She heard a distinctly not-demonic cry from the person she had slapped as well as a solid thump. She covered her mouth when she saw who she had assaulted. Xandra was on the floor, cradling her hit cheek.

“Ooooh my gosh, I am so so so sorry.” Mabel got out of her chair, helping her back up. “You just really surprised me and my reflexes kicked in.” She winced when she heard her friend groan in pain, hissing slightly when she saw the red mark that her hand had left on her cheek. “Let me get you to the living room…”

She managed to set Xandra up with an ice pack and a neck rest that would keep her from feeling too much pain. Xandra insisted that all of this was not necessary, still accepting everything due to the pain she was sustaining. Xandra seemed to be perplexed at how the girl was able to inflict so much harm with one hit. After they had settled down, Xandra sat up slightly, looking over at Mabel as best as she could.

“Who’s Bill?” She asked curiously. “Like an ex-boyfriend or…”

“Oh no! Definitely not!” Mabel laughed at the thought of dating the demon. “He’s... well, it’s a long story, and kinda sorta against the law….?” Xandra laughed a little herself, holding the ice pack right below her ponytail.

“I have time. And Alex has told me a thing or two about all the weird shenanigans that have happened here and he didn’t get in trouble.” Mabel nodded, taking a deep breath.

She explained Bill Cipher as best she could, shivering slightly when she thought about what he had done to the town and her family. She briefly explained Weirdmageddon, leaving out some of the parts that she was more ashamed of.

“So… a demon Dorito could do that much?” Xandra asked, eyebrows raised. Mabel sighed, nodding. “That’s really crazy but… I believe you.” Xandra gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll try not to scare you like that again. Promise.”

“No, no, it was an accident. I understand.” Mabel insisted, attempting a smile back. Xandra shook her head, patting Mabel’s back gently. “That was a traumatic experience. I don’t want you to ever have to go back to that time.” Xandra said firmly. Mabel smiled, fixing her hair. She was glad that Xandra trying so hard to make her feel better. Xandra got up, adjusting her ponytail.

“I asked that one cool girl, Wendy, if she’d like to hang out with us for the day.” Xandra explained. “I just stopped by to see if you wanted to come with.”

“That would be awesome!” Mabel squealed, getting up as well and nodding vigorously. Xandra grinned, fixing herself up. She noticed Dipper in the doorway, staring at the two eager young women. Xandra smiled awkwardly, cheeks turning a light pink.

“Hey. Um… sorry for yesterday.” She laughed nervously, playing with the hem of her skirt. “I know I made you uncomfortable, but-”

“It’s fine, Xandra.” He waved it off, making her let out a brief sigh of relief. “Where’s Alex?” He asked. She shrugged, shaking her head. “I don’t know. He’s been really sleepy lately.” Dipper’s face began to drop.

“But,” she added, stepping forward. “He told me to give this to you.” She pulled a small, leather-bound notebook from her purse, handing it to him. He smiled a little, seeing the perfect circle that Alex carved into everything he owned. He opened the first page, seeing the notes that his partner had taken down of the area. He noted how neat his handwriting was and how well weathered the cover was. He was glad that Alex was trusting him with the journal, but was still worried about the fact that Alex kept avoiding him. He sighed, patting Xandra’s shoulder.

“Thanks.” He hummed, getting a giggle out of her. She fixed her hair before walking towards the exit of the house, her Mary Jane shoes clunking lightly against the wood of the floor. Mabel gave Dipper a quick hug before following her.

Dipper sat down in Grunkle Stan’s favorite chair, reading through the journal of notes his friend had made for him. Ford walked into the living room, seeing Dipper still in the chair, still reading the journal. He chuckled, walking over to his grand nephew and sitting on the armrest. He read over his shoulder before a brief coughing fit alerted Dipper to his presence.

“Grunkle Ford!” He jumped, looking up at the older man. Ford smiled a little, taking his glasses off and cleaning them.

“Dipper. I’m sorry for interrupting you, but I don’t recall you having a book like that.” He explained as he put his glasses on. Old age, he thought to himself, was hardly suiting him. He and Stan were trying, but age was affecting their muscles, energy, and autoimmune systems. One of the main reasons for coming back to Gravity Falls was because the adventuring had taken a severe toll on their bodies.

“It’s not mine. It’s Alex’s.” Dipper explained, brushing his hair back. His birthmark made an appearance, making Ford smile. He was so proud of Dipper's growth as a scientist.

“Alex has his own journal, hm?” He looked at it. He could hardly help but recall his time with Fiddleford McGucket, his previous lab partner. He knew that Alex was different from Fiddleford in many ways: the boy had a calmer, more studious energy. While he knew that Fiddleford had cared for him, just seeing the worry in Alex’s face when he was approaching Dipper’s room lead Ford to believe they had a different dynamic. Alex cared deeply for Dipper, and he was rather sure Dipper cared just as much for Alex.

“Yeah. It’s always weird reading someone else’s notes.” Dipper explained sheepishly, turning the page again. “He sees things a little differently than I thought, but… it’s interesting.” He shrugged, looking back up at his mentor. Ford nodded, ruffling Dipper’s hair gently. “

You two seem to be good friends.” Ford noted. Dipper nodded, smiling softly.

“We just sort of clicked. He’s a good person to be with and really seems to understand me, somehow.” He laughed a little, fixing his hair. Ford patted his back.

“I just hope you’re not like me when it comes to lab partners.” He said, smiling a little sadly. Dipper nodded in understanding. “I’ll be careful with him, great uncle Ford.” He promised. Ford got up with a slight groan, walking to the basement.

Dipper watched him before looking down at the circle on the cover. He couldn’t help but wonder why Alex liked the shape so much. He traced his finger around the outline, thinking on it. He had asked Alex why he had chosen that before, but Alex had always found a way to change the topic. Dipper found himself falling asleep. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that it was strange that he was falling asleep now. His finger finished its sixth circle just before he lost consciousness completely.

* * *

 

Dipper looked around the space he had suddenly appeared in. It was not a void, it was just... empty. Nothing floated past him, no mathematical equations in the distance. There was only him in this yellow-orange place. That was until he saw a black line form in front of him. A perfectly two dimensional mouth opened: its pointed teeth perfect isosceles triangles with fifteen degree angles at their points. The space around it quickly turned a pale blue, spreading out in a circle. A large yawn emitted from the mouth before the perfect circle seemed to pop out from what seemed now to be a background.

“ **Feels like it’s been eons**.” The voice reverberated throughout the empty space. It did not have the shrill, shrieking quality that Bill Cipher’s voice had. This voice was lower and more gentle; it had a definite roughness and masculine quality to it, but still gentle regardless. Dipper wondered if the creature could see him, even without eyes. It turned its body around, seemingly observing the environment. The mouth closed, lips pursed. Dipper attempted to move backwards. That was when the circle snapped frontwards, facing him. Dipper swallowed his spit, feeling his mouth begin to dry.

“ **Pine Tree. What are you doing here?** ” It asked, voice sharper and more angry this time. Dipper gawked at the name, face paling.

“ _ **Get out!**_ ” The demon roared, the air around Dipper vibrating. He curled up, screaming to cancel out the noise. The sound continued, oppressive around his ears. Dipper wished he could escape this dimension, but he did not know-

“Dipper! Dipper get up!” A voice called over the noise. Dipper’s eyes snapped open. He panted, looking around. He was back in the Mystery Shack in Grunkle Stan’s chair. He gasped for air, looking at the woman who’d saved him. Wendy looked worried, eyes a wide with concern.

“Dude, are you alright?” She asked, shaking him a little. Dipper panted hard, trying to concentrate on the woman in front of him. He coached himself through deep breathing, calming himself down after around a minute. 

“Yeah, just had a… yeah. Nightmare.” He managed, still trying to catch his breath. Wendy smiled in relief, hugging Dipper.

“Don’t scare me like that.” She hissed, concern clear in her voice. He nodded, laughing a little as he hugged her back.

“I’ll try my hardest, I promise.” He sincerely promised, glad to have something to hold onto. She nodded, giving him one last squeeze before letting go. She walked out of the room, looking back at him occasionally. He gave her a thumbs up before she left.

Dipper looked back at the journal, furrowing his brows. Something strange was going on with this book. He got up awkwardly, walking up to the room where he and Alexander had took to conducting experiments. It had been Soos’ break room and formerly the room where the Electron Carpet had been placed years ago. They had taken it out a long time ago, yet the memories still remained. He smiled ruefully, thinking of how crazy his adventures had been when he was younger.

He placed the book on the nightstand, pulling out one of the scanners Grunkle Ford had created for him. It was designed to identify if there were elements from other dimensions composed within or on an object. He turned it on, making sure it was working correctly. It was not that he suspected that Alex was working against him. How could he? Alex was his friend and was loyal to him, he knew it. He just wanted to make sure that no one was trying to influence or manipulate him. He took a deep breath, training the barrel-like scanner at the journal.

He looked through the lens of the scanner, squinting his eye slightly. He felt his heart nearly stop when he saw the amount of blue energy being emitted from the journal. There were indents within the radiation: the circle, the top of the journal and the bottom. He deduced that the top indent was when Xandra handed it to him and the bottom was when he grabbed it. He put the device down, rubbing his eyes. What was wrong? Where did this extra dimensional energy come from? What was his friend up to?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, I forgot that this chapter is a tad longer than my other ones. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as the others! A dash of foreshadowing, a quarter cup of character development, and five pounds of mystery went into baking this chapter.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and get some rest. We all need it.


	5. Chapter Three

Alex knocked gently on the door of the Mystery Shack, worrying his lip. He knew that it was getting a little late (by which he meant ten at night, but by college student and long haul trucker standards, it was not too bad), but he hoped Dipper was still awake. He fixed his beanie, his thin ice blue eyes darting around. Grunkle Stan answered the door, grumbling under his breath. He was in just a stained A-line white tank and striped boxers, bunny slippers on his feet. He looked up at the budding physicist with wary curiosity. He waved him in, stepping back as he took a sip from his mug. Alex thanked him quietly.

“Is Dipper awake?” Alex asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. Grunkle Stan shrugged, scratching his exposed side.

“Maybe. Maybe not, the kid’s a little tuckered out.” He shrugged before laughing gruffly. “Probably can’t call him a kid anymore.”

“Well, he’s your grandkid.” Alex noted, fixing his beanie. “And he’s fine with feeling like a kid again, even though he’s grown.” He gave him a sideways smile. “Trust me, I know.” Stan grunted, nodding. Alex did seem to have his brother and his grand nephew’s brain, but did have the social awareness that most of his family seemed to miss out on.

“He’s in his room, anyways. If you wanna see him. He wanted to see you earlier.” Stanley stepped away from the door. “Keep him outta trouble.” He ordered before walking off.

Alex frowned slightly, thanking the man as he walked in. Xandra had told him that Dipper was getting frustrated with not seeing him as often. He had to think of a better explanation for why he continually disappeared on the scientist. He peeked into Dipper’s room, seeing that the younger man asleep on his desk. He tiptoed over, taking his journal back. He tucked it under his arm, walking back out. He did not plan to linger there and wake Dipper up. He left a little note for him, telling him where to find him later. He did not want to wake Dipper up just to give some barely thought through explanation of where he was. He was approaching the door outside when he heard someone call his name. He stopped in his tracks, looking around.

“Hey Alex!” He gasped as he felt his hat get plucked off his head. He turned around quickly, trying to get it back before it was too late. Mabel stood with his hat in her hands, eyes somewhat wide. Alex’s hair up in a bun and was incredibly… “Your hair is beautiful.” She breathed. Alex covered the bun with one hand, face incredibly red. He shook his head. “I’m serious!” She insisted, giggling slightly. He sighed, taking his hand off of the fluffy bun.

“I don’t like it that much.” He mumbled, shaking his hair out. It was dark brown, long, and incredibly curly. “Xandra really likes it so.” He shrugged, taking his hat back. Mabel smiled, excitement clear in her eyes.

“Do you keep it like that under your hat?” She asked curiously, still marveling at the thickness and luster of his dark hair. He nodded again.

“It gets really hot.” He added, making a face. Her smile turned mischievous as she took grabbed his sleeve, tugging him into the living room. She sat him down on the couch, sitting on the top of the back of it.

“I’m gonna do something nice with it.” Mabel promised, taking it out of the bun. She began braiding it. Alex closed his eyes, letting out a breath that neither of them had known he had been holding. She worked her fingers through his thick hair She decided to make a braid around the circumference of his head. She clapped when she was done, giggling. She could not believe how well it worked out and how perfect the circle it was.

“All done.” She handed him her phone so he could look at his hair. His eyes widened as he looked at the somewhat loose braid, touching it in mild awe. “You shampoo and condition?” She asked curiously. He nodded absently, touching the back. “It’s a little frizzy, but-” she started.

“I love it.” Alex said firmly, looking back at her with his blue eyes. She blushed a little, smiling brightly. He got up, leaning over and pecking her cheek. She felt her cheeks turn bright red, nervous laughter escaping her lips.

“Mabel? Where’d Alex’s journal go?” Alex jumped when he heard Dipper’s voice, quickly shoving the hat over his hair. Mabel smiled a little sadly, getting up.

“Alex is here.” She called back. The man in question coughed in surprise, shaking his head. Mabel giggled, hugging his arm. “Probably wanted to get his journal back.” Dipper looked in as Alex shoved his hat over his hair. Mabel let go of Alex’s arm, brushing her sweater down. Alex turned to face Dipper, face a little pale.

“Hey.” He managed, fixing his hat. Dipper frowned slightly, rubbing his eye. He looked between his best friend and his sister, eyes hazy.

“Hey.” Dipper repeated, yawn extending the greeting. “Mabel, where is Alex’s journal? It was right under my face.”

“I got it back. You looked so tired I figured I wouldn’t bug you.” Alex gave him a smile, ruffling his hair. “Sorry, man. I left a note though.” He shrugged.

“Where?” Dipper asked. Alex laughed, plucking the note off of Dipper’s cheek. Mabel laughed at Dipper’s embarrassment. Dipper took the note back, slipping it into his pants pocket. “Thanks. There was something weird going on with your journal, though. There was multidimensional energy covering it.” Dipper said, alarm from his previous findings waking him up. Alex’s eyes widened briefly before he nodded, tapping his chin.

“We’ll investigate that tomorrow: when we’re both well rested.” Alex promised, giving him a smile. Dipper managed a smile back. “See you tomorrow as well, Mabel.” Alex gave her a grin before heading out. Mabel grinned back, waving goodbye.

“See ya!” She called, giggling. Dipper looked over at her, suspicion in his eyes. Alex did not make a habit of saying goodbye to his twin. Mabel looked over at Dipper, smiling a little. “What’s the matter, bro-bro?”

“Nothing. Just wondering what you guys were doing.” Dipper asked as benignly as possible. Mabel laughed, pushing his shoulder. “Are you jealous, Dipper?” She teased. Dipper blushed lightly, snorting a little and shoving his sister back.

“No, just curious.” He grumbled. She smiled a little, twirling her thick hair between her sparkly nailed fingers. “Maybe he’ll tell you. Client provider confidentiality, y’know.” She winked. Dipper groaned, rubbing his face. He hated not knowing things and he hated the excuses his sister used to hide surprises from him. Secrets were dangerous in the Pines family: they always seemed to bite you in the back.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! You made it past the prologue!
> 
> So this is the first fic I've posted on AO3. I have a few more chapters lined up, but updates might still be slow. Constructive criticism is absolutely welcomed.


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